Jaehwan is the main protagonist of The World After the Fall Webnovel. The story was written by a married couple that use one pseudonym: 싱숑. They are known as Sing-Shong, or singNsong in English translations.
History
Jaehwan is a young, South Korean male who was summoned to the Tower of Nightmares, a large construct consisting of 100 floors brimming with perilous monsters. Jaehwan's sole mission is climbing the Tower and saving humanity, which suffers from "Tower Impacts." As he does, he loses his allies and friends until he's the only one that remains.[1]
Appearance
Throughout the novel, Jaehwan is hardly described.
As of February 7th, 2022, The World After the Fall manhwa has been released. The cover art was released, and viewers can see that Jaehwan has black hair and a muscled build.
Personality and Intelligence
As an adult
Throughout the story, Jaehwan is shown as a headstrong individual that obeys his own rules. He questions authority and regards the world with suspicion. This leads him to have a stubborn attitude and a cold demeanor. This headstrong and stubborn attitude makes Jaehwan (at times) act childish, such as how he deals with issues and how he interacts with people. His first solution is (usually) stabbing or killing. Like a child, he is short with answers, explains little, and acts aloof, which often creates misunderstandings.
Jaehwan acts taciturn and cold because of the trauma and isolation he suffered. The Tower of Nightmares that he was summoned into created an illusion that the world was being decimated. As he perceived it, his life on World 294 was destroyed by Tower Impacts that wiped out humanity. From his viewpoint, Jaehwan's life on Earth was gone.
When Tower Walkers discovered the Returning Stone on Floor 77, multiple people began abandoning the present in droves. This caused other Tower Walkers to die and return to the past until Jaehwan was all alone. After defeating Beastlain and breaking out of the Tower of Remorse, Jaehwan left his life as a Tower Walker behind.
In two instances, Jaehwan's life and his perception was greatly shaken. Due to the abandonment, isolation, and stress, Jaehwan grew more resolute and stronger, but loss his openness and joy as a human.
Soon after, he dedicated himself to advancing towards the future. Due to this ideal, Jaehwan mostly works alone, and he will leave others behind if they hold him back. [1] [2] [3]
Despite this, Jaehwan is a kind person. He is rough around the edges, but he still cares about people. When he killed the Greens after entering Chaos, he buried their antennae, presumably as a show of respect for the dead.
After becoming the Castle Lord, he worked hard to teach and strengthen the Leaders of the Ten-Clan. With Meikail Garnard's help, Jaehwan also created his own Tower of Nightmares; he did this so the citizens of Gorgon could become Awakeners and defend themselves.
Intelligence
Jaehwan is a person who can contextualize with little information and see the bigger picture. He gets straight to the point, avoids useless explanation, and always seeks answers. He saw through Demon Beastlain's deceptions and discovered the truth of the Tower. [4]
Jaehwan can read the room, but he is emotionally dense.
Ideals
Jaehwan hates returning to the past. When advancing through the Tower of Nightmares, Tower Walkers encountered the Returning Stone. This item allowed anyone to travel backwards in time. This resulted in mass abandonment of the present and Jaehwan was left with little allies. As they climbed the floors, his friends continued to perish.
Because of this, he resented the people who returned. Jaehwan always thought of the present world they abandoned, and it left him embittered but dedicated. Jaehwan developed a mindset of living in the present, and he respects people who share his mindset.
Personal Experiences before the Tower
Before Jaehwan was summoned into the Tower, he was serving in the South Korean military, which is a mandatory requirement for the country's men. It is unknown if he willingly entered the service, or if he was mandated to do so, but it is known that he achieved the rank of Sergeant (E5) in the webnovel. In the manhwa, he achieved the rank of Corporal (E4).
As Jaehwan was serving in a battalion, an abused soldier killed his fellow squadmates and superior officers, but spared Jaehwan. The soldier killed everyone else because he was suffering from mistreatment, but didn't kill Jaehwan because he did not participate in the abuse.
Jaehwan stumbled upon the incident. After the abused soldier killed everyone and spared Jaehwan, he committed suicide. Jaehwan witnessed everything and realized he wasn't killed by his own firearm. How the shooter acquired Jaehwan's rifle is unknown.
Shortly after, other military forces approached the scene and apprehended Jaehwan. He was the only survivor of the incident. The high-ranking officers of the battalion (who presumably weren't around when the shooting occurred) were terminated from their service. Jaehwan was put on trial, but his innocence was proven after it was discovered he did not participate in the abuse of the rogue soldier. He was detained for 15 days, and summoned into the Tower of Nightmares shortly thereafter of his release.
In the translated webnovel chapter, it described the situation like this: "It had been proven that he [Jaehwan] wasn't involved in the bullying of the soldier so he was locked up in military detention for 15 days and then was summoned into the tower right after."
This memory was shown as a flashback in the webnovel, and it occurred within Sirwen Armelt's 8 Gates of Hell skill. [5]
Personal Experiences in the Tower
- Jaehwan was summoned to the 1st Floor.
- Jaehwan met Yoonhwan and Han Seoyul on the 7th floor.
- On the 32nd Floor, he managed to survive the "Shadow Cavern Trials" for a month. The webnovel states, "It was the first time when his [Stab] had become powerful."
- On the 54th Floor, he joined a group called Blade Walker.
- On the 66th Floor, as Jaehwan fought the Succubus boss, he looked at Han Seoyul and realized his love for her.
- On the 76th Floor, Han Seoyul died from the Death Knight's attack. Jaehwan wailed as he held her in his arms.
- On the 77th Floor, people discovered the Returning Stone, and Jaehwan felt enraged as they left.
- On the 85th Floor, people shouted in joy as they cleared it, and they formed Carpediem.
- Jaehwan finally became alone when Yoonhwan plummeted from the Tower of Nightmares, who was gravely wounded by Boss Monster Giltikas of the 98th Floor.
- Jaehwan cleared the Tower of Nighmares after killing Frost Dragon Velkisus. [6]
- He met Demon Beastlain on the 100th Floor, who informed Jaehwan that the Tower of Nightmares was a tutorial. [7]
Weapons
- True Dragon Sword from the 85th Floor.
- Ice Dragon Sword made from Velkisus.
- Spirit Weapon, originally made from the Ice Dragon Sword.
Skills and Abilities
Stab
- Stab - Webnovel
- Jaehwan's main mode of attack. When he entered the tower, he was unlucky because other Tower Walkers acquired better skills. Due to this, he developed the stabbing skill, an ability outside of the system. Unlike System skills, his attack doesn't require mana, so Jaehwan may attack indefinitely. [6]
- Slight Stab
- This is a powerful version of stab and it is the first stab he uses when attacking others.
- Normal Stab
- This is a powerful version of stab and he uses it when the opponent is strong enough.
- Strong Stab
- This stab can allow Jaehwan to kill multiple people in one strike by stabbing them with his full power.
- World Stab
- This stab can allow Jaehwan to stab with his World Power. The stab is not only imbued with World Power, but he also stabs with his full strength.
- Undead Stab
- Brain Link Stab
- This stab allows Jaehwan to cut the brain link between a being in <Chaos> to the <Depth>, effectively removing the immortality element that any being may possess and eternally destroying their soul.
- World Power
- A type of energy that comes from Jaehwan's Unique World, The World After the Fall. He can use this energy to imbue each stab with his world power and shoot it out with each stab, which makes his stabs far more deadly since his world represents the end of everything.
Techniques
- [Fatal Spiral]
- This stab is a combination of Jaehwan's stab and Chunghuh's slash. A stab that causes the thrust to bend upwards or downwards, like a slash. This gives his stab a much wider range to hit multiple targets.
- [Five Consecutive World Stabs]
- A series of stabs consisting of 5 attacks that release Jaehwan's World Power with each stab.
- [World Stabs, Seven Consecutive Shots] Jaehwan Storyline
- A series of stabs consisting of 7 attacks that release Jaehwan's World Power with each stab. However, because this stab is coming from Jaehwan's own story, the stabs are significantly stronger than without his story.
- [World Thrust Compression] Jaehwan Storyline
- A stab (or stabs) that are imbued with Jaehwan's World Power, but the World Power is far more condensed and compressed when it is shot out. This makes the attack much more thin like a rapier compared to a greatsword, this makes his launched stabs far more sharp and precise.
- Jaehwan Series
- 1st Technique [Constellation Mutilation] - A stab that is charged up for a certain amount of time and shoots out one stab with all of Jaehwan's strength and World Power.
- 2nd Technique [Path of the Wave] - The fastest stab that jaehwan can perform. As the range of the impact can be limited, the smaller it is, the more power [Constellation Mutilation] would have. A technique that moves "Later", but has a "faster" impact.
- [World Power Thrust]
- A straight punch that Jaehwan can dish out with his World Power contained in each punch. Because he can only thrust, he can only perform a straight punch. This essentially allows Jaehwan to shoot out his World Power without needing to stab with his sword.
- [Six Consecutive Fatal Spirals]
- A series of attacks consisting of 6 Fatal Spirals. This allows Jaehwan to perform slash-like movements with stabbing motions 6 times to defeat multiple enemies at once that aren't in a single direction.
- [Strong Stabs, 50 consecutive stabs]
- A series of stabs consisting of 50 strong stabs. This allows Jaehwan to relentlessly attack an opponents without giving them any chance to attack back or counter.
- [Earth Thrust]
- A version of World Power Thrust, where instead of punching with World Power, you jump with World Power. This increases the height and distance that a person can jump from or to.
Guardian Horn
Jaehwan received the Guardian Horn of Gorgon Fortress from Aimel Grosheck. It is a tattoo adorning his arm in the shape of a Gorgon, hence its name. Since Jaehwan received it, he became the Castle Lord of Gorgon Fortress. The Guardian Horn is one of four, and it's inherited when the previous user relinquishes it to another before death. [8] [9]
By invoking the Guardian Horn, also known as the Seal of Daeus, Horned monsters will not attack the tattoo bearer. [10]
Story
After arriving in the <Abyss>, Jaehwan accidently devoured Anderson and her story "Getting Naked". This story is a high ranking story and is about an ancient, eccentric, and violent god who'll fight anyone, but gets naked during his fights. "The real fight only starts when he takes off all of his clothes." This story allows Jaehwan's physical prowess to increase, drastically, when he gets naked. After getting this story, Jaehwan often walked around naked unless he wore Reinholt's combat cape set.
Jaehwan's Story [Tower of Nightmares]
This is Jaehwan's own story that he cultivated for years from all of his experiences in the Tower of Remorse. His story is represented in the Tower that rests in his unique world, The World After the Fall. The tower in his unique world contains all of his memories that he himself cannot bear all of the time. The tower is represented as The Tower of Remorse that jaehwan had to go through. The memories of all his experiences have become the World Power that jaehwan uses, "For the price of remembering this horrible nightmare and enduring it, he obtained strength."
Jaehwan's Story [Sword of Destruction]
This is Jaehwan's second storyline that he made after obtaining the Spirit Weapon. This storyline is connected to his sword and allows for greater efficiency in eating raw materials, particularly from enemy hands. There are two forms that this storyline gives the spirit weapon
- First Form = This is the standard storyline and is used to prevent his sword from breaking by increasing the efficiency in eating raw materials and strengthening the sword.
- Second Form = This storyline allows Jaehwan to mix the spirit sword with the sword made from the 4th step, increasing its power capacity and destructive capabilities
- Third Form = This allows Jaehwan to manifest his spirit sword as a beast that devours all, it can even devour World Power.
Clothes
Clothes are, in essence, how people perceive another person. Jaehwan uses his clothes(which are like ghosts inside of him, in a literal sense) to power his unique world and make it stronger by transcending his clothes instead of himself. His clothes (16 of them) gain a consciousness through transcendence, which allows them to put faith in jaehwan's unique world. This, in essence, nullifies jaehwans need to collect followers and have them believe in him for eternity. Jaehwan's clothes eventually make use of the 6th step [Edit], by controlling prime jaehwan's body and having techniques that would be similar to editing something on a computer. Jaehwan decided to transcend his clothes so that he wouldn't figure out the truth of the <The System>, risk not wanting to destroy it, and risk joining <Big Brother>.
Awakening
Suspicion
1st Step of Awakening
This ability allows Jaehwan to read the minds of others, although it is imperfect. Suspicion gives him the ability to acquire hidden information. This allowed him to realize the truth of the Tower. When using the ability, the webnovel states Jaehwan can see particles, and these particles are different in shape, form, and color. When these particles interact with a person, they can form words, hence the mind-reading. Additionally, Suspicion allows him to deny the presence of material and dismantle.
Understanding
2nd Step of Awakening
This ability allows Jaehwan to contextualize and better understand information given to him from the 1st step.
Void (Webnovel) Oblivion (Webtoon)
3rd Step of Awakening
The Unique World is an ability Awakeners unlock when completing the first three steps of awakening and unlocking genesis. Each Unique World has a name, and Jaehwan's Unique World is called "World After the Fall." The Unique World is a mental projection that is validated and realized by its wielder. Each Unique World looks different and possesses their own characteristics. [11]
Jaehwan's Unique World is described as a bloody battlefield filled with rotting corpses. Within the world is a single tree and a burning eye that looks down at the landscape below. Jaehwan called it the Eye of Asura. Surrounding the eye are flocks of crows. The first two steps he used to create his Unique World are [Suspicion] and [Understanding.]
Creation
4th Step of Awakening
This ability allows Jaehwan to manifest his unique world to the real world and have it take the shape of a sword. The sword is reminiscent of Jaehwans unique world, "World After the Fall", which represents destruction of the world and system. This aspect of his unique world gives Jaehwan's manifested sword the ability to absolute destroy anything in its path and nullify other stories abilities. The fourth step of Jaehwan's awakening was realized when he discovered the keyword [Theory] and put it into practice.
Proof
5th Step of Awakening
This allows jaehwan to fully materialize his unique world onto the real world by having other people believe and trust in him. Proof is essentially proving the existence of Jaehwan's Unique World through the trust and belief of others. The materialized Unique World can affect the World, the System, or interfere with it. By making his unique world stronger through the belief in others, he has a higher likelihood of overpowering someone elses sanctuary or unique world.
Edit
6th Step of Awakening
This ability allows Jaehwan to "Edit" his own unique world and those in it, much like on a computer. This step can only be achieved when an awakened realizes that they are in a novel, which Jaehwan wrote in the past. This essentially allows Jaehwan free rein over his Unique world, which is the entire world. Since Jaehwan wrote the world into existence, his Unique World can reach to the entire world. He can control space-time in it to affect the world or those in it.
Quotes
- Hey, if anyone of y'all want to go back to the past, lemme know. I'll kill y'all. [1]
- They will die because this 'ocean' exists, right? Then I will destroy this 'ocean.' [12]
Trivia
- Jaehwan was raised by his mother and father until the age of ten. After an incident, he was only raised by his mother.
- Jaehwan served in mandatory military service.
- Jaehwan had a girlfriend named Han Seoyul who died before reaching the 77th floor.
- Jaehwan's best friend was named Kim Yoonhwan.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Prologue
- ↑ Chapter 95: Path to the Depth (4)
- ↑ Chapter 96: Path to the Depth (5)
- ↑ Chapter 4: Millions of Stabs (3)
- ↑ Chapter 80: War of Revival
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 2: Millions of Stabs (1)
- ↑ Chapter 3: Millions of Stabs (2)
- ↑ Chapter 48: Master of Gorgon (6)
- ↑ Chapter 50: Master of Gorgon (8)
- ↑ Chapter 103: Catastrophe (4)
- ↑ Chapter 101: Catastrophe (2)
- ↑ Chapter 64: Last Hope (13)